Jero - New American Enka Singer

[Dragonette]

[dm]x48dm9[/dm]

He's a cute, 26-year-old ha-fu (actually 1/4 Japanese) kid from Pittsburgh, and making his debut this month - I think he sounds better than a lot of the "pure-blooded" born-and-bred 日本人 that I've come across.

According to his blog, he originally got into enka because of a close relationship to his Japanese grandma, won an NHK contest, and... we'll see how it goes from here, ne.

You go, boy!

[Takechanpoo]

He needs gaijin pronounsiation to be sold more in J-market.

[D-San]

A Kokujin Enka singer has to be one of the signs of the apocalypse.

[kusai Jijii]

He needs gaijin pronounsiation to be sold more in J-market.

Stupid, but sadly all too true.

[2triky]

Fuggin' a...this guy sounds pretty dayem good. He gets proppers.

[kamome]

The whole way through the video, I couldn't shake the sense that he was lip synching lyrics sung by a Japanese dude.

[GuyJean]

The whole way through the video, I couldn't shake the sense that he was lip synching lyrics sung by a Japanese dude.

Baniri Miri-sama?

GJ

[2triky]

The whole way through the video, I couldn't shake the sense that he was lip synching lyrics sung by a Japanese dude.

Haha. I felt the same way when I heard him sing the first few words. However which way you slice it, it's a laudable accomplishment for him. Pretty cool.

[kamome]

Baniri Miri-sama?

GJ

Exactly!


Painfully gay image of Milli Vanilli.

[IkemenTommy]

Kokujin singing better than the rest of us? So what's new?
It's a black thang.

[succubusqueen]

Kokujin singing better than the rest of us? So what's new?
It's a black thang.

yup...we only need to see him dance and check how endowed he is..

[Iraira]

yup...we only need to see him dance and check how endowed he is..

If you saw Neil Diamond dancing, you'd be able to determine his...um....turgid dimensions? Gotta get me some of those X-ray Spex to see if the girl on the 6th floor really is that "blessed in the chest". Don Quixote?

[jim katta]

oh my god. the universe has flipped inside out. the crazy thing is.... I actually liked the song and the video. yep, apocalypse must be close at hand.

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: African-American 'enka' singer Jero to log 4th in Japan single charts

Jero, believed to be the first ever African-American "enka" singer in Japan, is set to rank fourth in single charts based on figures compiled by Oricon Co to be released next Monday. The ranking marks the highest ever among debut singles released by enka and popular singers in Japan. Jero, whose real name is Jerome White, Jr, came to Japan in 2003 to become a singer after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He is drawing popularity, singing Japanese enka ballads, dressed in hip-pop clothes. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the 26-year-old made his debut earlier this year, releasing a single titled "Umiyuki (Marine Snow)."

[Greji]

yup...we only need to see him dance and check how endowed he is..

Could you possibly change that "We" to "first person singular", when you discuss wanting to see how he measures up in the Johnson ratings?

[MJMF]

He's in it for the pussy...fair play!

[American Oyaji]

He's in it for the pussy...fair play!

I've no doubt he'll get a lot of it.

[Greji]

I've no doubt he'll get a lot of it.

In Japan? An FG? Get laid? First, I ever heard of that happening! Must be something in the water...

Of course, there's always Noriko, him being a brother and what not!

[American Oyaji]

In Japan? An FG? Get laid? First, I ever heard of that happening! Must be something in the water...

Of course, there's always Noriko, him being a brother and what not!

If he's tall enough, he might snag Shizuyo

[Greji]

If he's tall enough, he might snag Shizuyo

Shizuyo? Takawaka Shizuyo? I thought she was your private stuff AO! But then again, Yamazaki is listed on the program as 5'11"!

[American Oyaji]

Shizuyo? Takawaka Shizuyo? I thought she was your private stuff AO! But then again, Yamazaki is listed on the program as 5'11"!

5'11" you say?...

Shizuyo's OK, but if she's so desperate for love to make it obvious to every guy she takes a fancy to, but she's still a virgin...somethings wrong.

[Takechanpoo]

Interview
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canned coffee CM
[YT]C4bZasPwujU[/YT]

[Greji]

Interview

You don't like him Take? I'm no expert on enka, but I think he sounds pretty good and most of the young (surprisingly) office J-people I know are really into him.

As I'm sure you know, he is a 1/4 Flower guy!

[gkanai]

Washington Post - A Far Cry From Home: An American Puts a Fresh Spin On Japan's Saddest Pop Songs

Japanese entertainment television can be silly in the extreme. (Think of Bill Murray's goofy interviewer in "Lost in Translation.") But Jero, with his excellent Japanese, has managed to come across as hip, dignified and sweet. A television critic in Japan's largest-circulation newspaper, the Daily Yomiuri, recently wrote: "This guy has definitely got a career ahead of him on Japanese TV."

When he is not talking to the media, Jero travels to in-store events and performs in shopping malls. The Washington Post waited about six weeks before his record label could schedule a 30-minute interview.

[Mulboyne]

[abortedape]

5'11" you say?...

Shizuyo's OK, but if she's so desperate for love to make it obvious to every guy she takes a fancy to, but she's still a virgin...somethings wrong.

who the fuck's that toilet seat?

[Samurai_Jerk]

African-American, Japanese enka star to sing at D.C. festival

As a boy, Jerome White Jr. often spent weekends at his grandparents house, where a melodramatic genre of Japanese music called enka would waft in the background.

White's Japanese grandmother, Takiko, had met his grandfather, an African-American serviceman, at a dance during World War II. And it was in their Pittsburgh living room that the 6-year-old and his grandma sang the postwar songs of love, loss and hardship. Even though he didn't understand the enka lyrics at the time, his Japanese singing pleased his grandmother, who died in 2005.

"I loved her very much," said White, now 27. "It just made me want to learn more songs and practice more."

Enka had an unwavering hook on White, and it has made him a superstar in Japan, where he's known as Jero. Named best new artist last year by Japan Record Awards — the Japanese version of the Grammys — White will make his first major U.S. appearance Saturday during the opening ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington.

[Greji]

African-American, Japanese enka star to sing at D.C. festival"......
White's Japanese grandmother, Takiko, had met his grandfather, an African-American serviceman, at a dance during World War II....."

That's interesting. I can understand meeting at a dance after WW II, but during? I suppose that was probably just a mis-print.

[Mulboyne]

The headline of the Asahi article on the event here reads "Did you know he could speak English too?"

[Behan]

That's interesting. I can understand meeting at a dance after WW II, but during? I suppose that was probably just a mis-print.

I'm just guessing (and I'm almost always wrong) but maybe she lived in an area of the US where people of Japanese descent weren't interned. I realize there probably weren't many of them, except for maybe the ones that served in the US military. But your idea of it being a misprint is more likely.